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CNet: ACLU, EFF: Subpoena for Twitter data would chill free speech - The brief filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Public Citizen comes three weeks after Twitter filed its own challenge to an order from a New York State court requiring it to hand over data on one of its users who was arrested for disorderly conduct during an Occupy Wall Street protest last year.

Family Lawyer Toronto: A rising tide against class-action suits - On April 25, the shopper advocacy group Public Citizen released a statement titled Justice Denied that recounted that since Concepcion, judges had cited the decision at least 76 times as an excuse to stop potential class-action lawsuits from moving ahead.

Jessica English thanks Public Citizen’s Tyson Slocum for being on “The Bottom Line”

Donatello Club Card: In an article on the bankrate - Public Citizen reports there are no hard facts about the total 15 of US jobs lost or to be lost, but they do give these data. Gartner Group says 10 percent of technology jobs will be offshore by 2005.

SCOTUSblog: Thursday round-up - In the blogosphere, Rick Hasen of Election Law Blog analyzes the Justice’s possible motivations for his speech, while Brian Wolfman also discusses the speech at Public Citizen’s Consumer Law and Policy blog.

Mortgage modification nightmare

5/31/2012

LoanSafe.org: Mortgage modification nightmare - “We feel it is important to have this order overturned,” said Scott Michelman, staff attorney for the Washington, D.C.-based organization, Public Citizen, a consumer rights group founded 40 years ago by consumer advocate Ralph Nader.

US legislation could block public access to drug safety information, claim consumer groups

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Mortgage modification nightmare - "We feel it is important to have this order overturned," said Scott Michelman, staff attorney for the Washington, D.C.-based organization, Public Citizen, a consumer rights group founded 40 years ago by consumer advocate Ralph Nader.

Romney not reporting who his bundlers are

5/30/2012

HispanicBusiness.com: Romney not reporting who his bundlers are - Campaign-finance watchdogs have pressed Romney to disclose his bundlers. "Should he be elected, these people will be first in line seeking benefits from the new administration and the public won't even know who these people are and whether they are being rewarded for their role in getting Romney elected," said Taylor Lincoln, research director at Public Citizen.

Between the lines: Real citizens unite

5/30/2012

The Valley Advocate: Between the lines: Real citizens unite - Legislatures in four states, including Vermont and Rhode Island, have already passed resolutions calling for the repeal of Citizens United. The Democracy Amendment Coalition of Massachusetts, which includes the groups Public Citizen, Common Cause and MassVOTE, hopes to see the commonwealth join that list.

SCOTUSblog: Q&A with Patricia Millett - And now that women are so actively hired, and gaining extensive Supreme Court practice, in government (like the Solicitor General’s Office), and in public interest groups that have a heavy Supreme Court presence (people like Pam Karlan at Stanford and Allison Zieve at Public Citizen), we are getting a deeper bench of women with the required skill set for those private clients to hire.

Teamster Nation: Today's Teamster news 05.28.12 - Members of Congress exercise their muscle on TPP Public Citizen ...69 Members of Congress (68 democrats and one republican) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to reconsider US proposals for the TPP that would effectively ban popular Buy American and buy local government contracting policies...

Associated Press: Faulty pumps, fuming drivers - Tom “Smitty” Smith, director of Public Citizen's Texas office, said that's a problem. “Compliance with the law ought to be a fundamental component of whether a license is renewed,” Smith said.

One homeowner's uphill battle with Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs shows how badly the courts are stacked against ordinary people

USA Today: Mitt Romney declining to disclose names of campaign bundlers - “Should he be elected, these people will be first in line seeking benefits from the new administration and the public won’t even know who these people are and whether they are being rewarded for their role in getting Romney elected,” said Taylor Lincoln, a research director at Public Citizen.

Mother Jones: John McCain: The Maverick returns? - Yet McCain's 2008 presidential bid disillusioned many of his reformer allies, such the good-government group Public Citizen. They watched with disgust as McCain distanced himself from campaign finance reform and his iconoclastic image.

Safety groups and drivers go to court over new truck driver hours of service rule

The State: S.C. worst in doctor discipline - South Carolina has consistently been among the bottom 10 states at disciplining doctors for each of the past nine annual rankings by Public Citizen’s Health Research Group.

Politico: What we're reading - Public Citizen is out with its annual report on state medical board’s disciplinary actions: Rates are still lower than a few years ago, and there’s a lot of variation among states. The report: http://bit.ly/JPuugr

World Trade Organization rules against dolphin safe labeling

5/21/2012

Global Post: World Trade Organization rules against dolphin safe labeling - In a statement Todd Tucker, research director for Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch said, "This latest ruling makes truth-in-labeling the latest casualty of so-called ‘trade' pacts, which are more about pushing deregulation than actual trade. Members of Congress and the public will be very concerned that even voluntary standards can be deemed trade barriers."

The Lowell Sun: Utilities got pass on outage questions - "That is a tremendous opportunity for regulators to require some performance improvements and to provide better protections and benefits for consumers," Tyson Slocum, energy director for Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group Public Citizen.

Dawn.com: Bajaj’s premature investment treaty idea - These demands, it says, could inhibit countries like China, Brazil and India from concluding BITs with the US. Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, said the new model BIT was basically the same as “the deeply flawed ‘old’ model.”

Newsmax.com: Senate to vote on FDA plan to speed approvals - “It may carry the same intrinsic defect that poses the same safety threat to patients,” Michael Carome, deputy director of the Health Research Group at consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, said in a telephone interview.

Reuters: Some secrecy needed in trade talks: USTR Kirk - Critics such as consumer advocacy group Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch have called for a more open process because of their concern the pact could restrict Internet freedoms in order to fight digital piracy, reduce access to life-saving medicines by extending drug patent protections, and encourage U.S. companies to move more jobs overseas through the agreement's investment protection provisions.

End Pay-to-Play Politics Through Transparency, Groups Tell U.S. Senate Committee

Ancys's Blog: Public Citizen's worldwide trade view - Critics like buyer advocacy group Public Citizen's Worldwide Trade View have referred to as for a far more open procedure because of their concern the pact could restrict Internet freedoms to be able to fight digital piracy, decrease access to life-saving medicines by extending drug patent protections, and motivate businesses to move far more jobs overseas via the agreement's investment protection provisions.

Teamster Nation: Today's teamster news 05.16.12 - Public Citizen: ... At a time when nearly four out of ten Americans are unemployed or simply not participating in the labor force, it is unconscionable to implement a trade deal with Colombia – the unionist murder capital of the world...

Congress has nine bills pending that would weaken derivatives regulations

Associated Press: Boustany, Landry battle starts - But the Washington, D.C.-based Roll Call publication and Public Citizen, which is a political watchdog and consumer rights advocacy group, took aim at Landry on Monday morning for spending taxpayer dollars on advertisements that touted the forums outside of his current district.

Al Jazeera English: Can US banks be trusted to self-regulate? - To discuss this presenter Shihab Rattansi is joined by: ... and Bartlett Naylor, a financial policy advocate at Public Citizen, an organisation that campaigns on behalf of citizen interests before Congress, and the former investigations chief at the US Senate Banking Committee.

The GOP’s nuke-dump donor

5/16/2012

Salon.com: The GOP’s nuke-dump donor - “They rolled over us like a steamroller,” says Tom Smith, who directs the Texas office of Public Citizen, an advocacy group that fought the legislative changes.

eOutreach Blog: Email newsletter roundup: DPAD mail bag: “Taxmageddon” - A matching campaign is also described in a note from Robert Weissman of Public Citizen,titled "In every corner of this country," which claims: “a group of longtime Public Citizen donors who know what we’re up against - from the Chamber, to Karl Rove, to the Brothers Koch, to every enemy of progress - has stepped forward with an extraordinary offer.

Treaty like it’s 1999

5/14/2012

Raj Patel: Treaty like it’s 1999 - First, here’s Public Citizen’s TPP action page, on which they’re asking for some of the most egregious intellectual property provisions being discussed at the moment to be shown the light of day.

Bioethicists fraternizing with the enemy

5/14/2012

The Human Future: Bioethicists fraternizing with the enemy - "... According to a 2010 report by Public Citizen, the pharmaceutical industry had paid nearly $20-billion in settlements and penalties in the preceding two decades; 75 percent of the penalties had come in the preceding five years alone..."

Professinoal Risk: Doctor fights back against online complaints - “Obviously, online forums create lots of interest on both sides,” David Muraskin, an attorney who is in the litigation group of Public Citizen, the Washington D.C. based public interest group, which has opposed the physician’s lawsuit, told HealthLeaders Media.

InfoJustice.org: ACTA-as-counterproposal at TPP negotations; News from Dallas - Side events were held throughout the week at Dallas, including side events by PhRMA, BIO, Public Citizen and Public Citizen hosted a lunch on IP and Innovation where a panel discussed the link between IP and Innovation, offering different views on the topic than those typically promoted by the IP-owning industries.

Landry’s self-promotion draws more scrutiny

5/14/2012

The INDsider: Landry’s self-promotion draws more scrutiny - In a May 14 article posted by the Beltway political newspaper Roll Call, Craig Holman of Public Citizen accuses Landry of abusing the franking privilege by spending more than $30,000 in taxpayer funds in the third quarter of 2011 to finance a series of radio ads in Lafayette and Lake Charles...

Investor Village: More FUD for the FDA - Sidney Wolfe, director of the health research group at Public Citizen, a consumer group, says he plans "a very strong letter" to the FDA advising the agency not to approve this drug.

Wells Fargo is not your amigo

5/14/2012

Salon.com: Wells Fargo is not your amigo - Bartlett Naylor, financial policy advocate at Public Citizen, a D.C.-based consumer advocacy group, is more skeptical. “I’d be highly suspect if these efforts were little more than window dressing.”

Owens will reimburse cost of trip to Taiwanese university after lobbying questions arise

Tertiary Education Union: TPP - It's all about secrecy- As TPP negotiations got underway in Dallas USA on 8 May, American public advocacy group Public Citizen launched an animated video "TPP: The Ultimate Corporate Power Tool", a parody based on the classic Jackson 5 song “ABC”.

Roll Call: Jeff Landry ads raise questions - But government watchdog group Public Citizen said Landry’s hefty expenditure to publicize an event in a neighboring district gives “every appearance” of breaking the rules.

What’s in a congressional junket? Plane travel, hotels and meals — all gratis

Reuters: Secrecy needed in trade talks: USTR Kirk - Critics such as consumer advocacy group Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch have called for a more open process because of their concern the pact could restrict Internet freedoms in order to fight digital piracy.

Alonso Krangle LLP warns that NuvaRing side effects may include increased blood clot risk compared to birth control pills

Bilaterals.org: Secrecy blankets trade talks - While US global health policy has seen significant strengthening over the past five years, passage of the TPP "would start rolling this back", said Peter Maybarduk, director of the Access to Medicines Program at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group here.

Consumer group calls for antidiabetes drug to be withdrawn

5/9/2012

BMJ: Consumer group calls for antidiabetes drug to be withdrawn - Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, a non-profit consumer advocacy organisation based in Washington, DC, said that liraglutide (marketed as Victoza by Novo Nordisk)—a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue drug used as a once daily injection for type 2 diabetes—is associated with higher than expected rates of pancreatitis, thyroid cancer, and kidney failure.

Here is a wonderful new partnership for you courtesy of our corporate overlords.

Salon.com: The Wall Street backlash - And the congressional newspaper The Hill reports, “Members of Congress pressuring regulators to go easy on the ‘Volcker Rule’ received roughly four times as much on average in contributions from the financial industry than lawmakers pushing for a stronger rule since the 2010 election cycle, according to Public Citizen, a left-leaning group advocating for strict implementation..."

Caller.com: Make trade work for all Texans - Lori Wallach of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch has argued that the TPP is not just a traditional trade treaty, but a delivery vehicle for non-trade policies that can't be debated in public.

Groups press for Senate hearings on News Corp. scandal

5/9/2012

The Hill: Groups press for Senate hearings on News Corp. scandal - CREDO Action, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, and Public Citizen sent letters to Rockefeller and House Commerce Committee chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) asking for hearings into the News Corp. phone hacking scandal, which has been the subject of a long-running investigation in the United Kingdom.

TheCRE.com: Progressive groups vent on executive order - The Center for Progressive Reform (CPR), the Union of Concerned Scientists, OMB Watch and Public Citizen have all issued statements that are critical or at least highly skeptical of the White House executive order issued Tuesday.

Red State: Top ten reasons to end the Export-Import Bank - Such travel should be banned because the money may influence the bank’s decisions on billions of dollars in financing, said Craig Holman, a legislative representative at Public Citizen, an advocacy group based in Washington.”

Star-Telegram: Consumer arbitration merits scrutiny- Since then, at least 76 potential class-action cases were quashed by judges citing the Supreme Court ruling, according to a report released last week by Public Citizen, a Washington-based advocacy group.

AZCentral: Debate over continued incentives for energy companies - An annual report titled "Green Scissors: Cutting Wasteful and Environmentally Harmful Spending" is co-sponsored by environmental group Friends of the Earth and conservative group the Heartland Institute, along with Public Citizen and Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Cape Cod Times: Small towns, big ethics problem - "... What's going on here is that New England tends to enforce its laws," said Craig Holman, a government ethics scholar with the citizens' advocacy group Public Citizen in Washington, D.C.

Lieberman, Cantor defend Capitol Hill’s inside traders

5/8/2012

Salon.com: Lieberman, Cantor defend Capitol Hill’s inside traders - According to Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a transparency advocacy group that lobbied for the House version of the STOCK Act, the two groups were especially concerned about the regulation of the political intelligence industry.

The Cutting Edge: Little light but lots of heat in the fracas over fracking - Two months later, in early December, responding to what it called a “citizens’ complaint” against Range Resources Armendariz sent what appeared to be a gleeful and thoroughly partisan email to virulently anti-shale gas blogger Sharon Wilson (known as Texas Sharon), Tom “Smitty” Smith of Public Citizen and other activists.

Bill de Blasio joins major shareholders to demand that 3M address problems with political spending

The Hill: White House moves to align US, foreign regulations-"Whether you call it harmonization, deregulation or international regulatory coherence, this controversial agenda of using 'trade' pacts to set a ceiling on health, safety, financial and environmental standards stalled out in the WTO Doha Round of trade talks, and now is being resisted in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. This recent executive order appears to be the latest effort to introduce by stealth what has been rightly rejected elsewhere," Lori Wallach of Public Citizen said Tuesday.

For Novo Nordisk, buzz was a mixed blessing

5/4/2012

Pharmalot: For Novo Nordisk, buzz was a mixed blessing-Public Citizen, the consumer watchdog, last month filed a petition asking the FDA to withdraw the Victoza diabetes med sold by Novo due to increased risks that patients may developed pancreatitis, serious allergic reactions and kidney failure.

Dallas Morning News: Seaway pipeline enhances U.S. energy security-While there are certainly factors that can lead to the harm of any oil pipeline (third-party damage, for example), Smith and Lovell, who are with the group Public Citizen, would want readers to believe that pipelines transporting oil sourced from the Canadian Oil Sands are at more risk because of an unsubstantiated claim that Canadian heavy oil is more likely to corrode the interior of pipe walls.

Investor Village: The 'crucify them' presidency-As it happens, "Channel 8" had the news before an aide for Mr. Armendariz had bothered to notify the state. One of Mr. Armendariz's email buddies (who included members of the Environmental Defense Fund and Public Citizen) wrote back: "Yee haw! Hats off to the new Sheriff and his deputies!"

The law shrouding details of Congressional trips abroad

5/4/2012

Mediapart: The law shrouding details of Congressional trips abroad-“Official travel and travel sponsored by foreign governments, while not as troubling as lobbyist-sponsored travel, certainly should be subject to full transparency,” says Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at the watchdog group Public Citizen who helped draft the 2007 law tightening privately funded travel rules.

Letters to the editor: overturn decision

5/4/2012

Press-Republican: Letters to the editor: overturn decision-"A year after the Supreme Court's abominable Citizens United decision, we have overwhelming evidence of the damage done to our democracy — and clear signals of worse threats to come," said the president of Public Citizen, a content adviser on the movie.

Investor Village: New SA article: Why Lorcaserin will be approved - "Public health cannot tolerate another diet drug approved that has not been accepted for cardiovascular risk especially in light of the suggested findings of Qnexa," Sidney Wolfe, director of the health research group at advocacy group Public Citizen, told ABC News.

Email newsletter round up

5/1/2012

eOutreach Blog: Email newsletter round up- Jim Hightower of Public Citizen promotes an upcoming event in "Like a rodeo clown." The piece states: “Stand Up for Main Street, an all-star comedy benefit for my great, great friends at Public Citizen, is just a week away.

PA Law Blogs: Another upset for users of diabetes medications - On April 19th, Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, filed a petition with the FDA asking that the diabetes drug Victoza be pulled from the market immediately due the fact that it puts patients at a higher risk of thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, kidney failure, and serious allergic reactions.

AboutLawsuits.com: Amid mounting concerns over Victoza problems, sales disappoint - Last month, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen filed a petition with the FDA calling for a Victoza recall to be issued in the United States, indicating that the potential risk of thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, kidney failure and other problems associated with the medication outweigh the benefits provided over other diabetes treatments.

Nature.com: Debate on diabetes drugs gathers pace - “We don’t just go after drugs casually,” says Sidney Wolfe, director of the health and research group at Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer-advocacy organization based in Washington DC, which sent the petition to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 19 April.

Bloomberg Businessweek: Consumer protection faces a 'tsunami' in court - In a report released this week, the National Association of Consumer Advocates and the legal advocacy group Public Citizen, which represented the Concepcions before the Supreme Court, said they have identified 76 cases in the past year where potential class actions were shot down by judges citing Concepcion.

The Tennessean: Black writes off $1M campaign loan - Craig Holman, a campaign finance reform expert with the non-partisan government watchdog group Public Citizen, said the original intention of the restriction is to force wealthy candidates to disclose if, and how, they are self-financing a campaign and control their repayments.

Newsvine: Millions against Monsanto - While numerous organizations including... Public Citizen... are making a concerted effort to inform the public about the dangers of genetically modified foods, our governmental agencies and now more and more of our judiciary seem to be kowtowing to Monsanto.

Philly.com: Novo Nordisk to add 615 jobs - The consumer group Public Citizen petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to have Victoza removed from the market for putting patients at a higher risk of thyroid cancer, pancreatitis and kidney failure.

Activists breathe new life into May Day

5/1/2012

Huffington Post: Activists breathe new life into May Day - In April, a coalition of unions, environmental groups, community organizing networks - including Public Citizen... and others - began a series of protest actions major banks and corporations, and trained close to 100,000 new recruits in civil disobedience tactics.

Victory at UNCTAD XIII

5/1/2012

Huffington Post: Victory at UNCTAD XIII - Civil society also played an important role during the conference... Public Citizen... and other groups convened side events on issues of investment, financial regulation, the WTO, debt, tax policy, food security, and the social protection floor - offering incisive analysis on key issues under negotiation within to the conference theme of inclusive and sustainable development.

OpEdNews: How Big Pharma gets you to stay on a drug for life - Long-term use of PPIs increases the risk of hip, wrist and spine fractures, the FDA warns and the drugs can cause potentially lethal C. difficile-caused diarrhea and community-acquired pneumonia says national health advocacy group, Public Citizen.

Money makes the world (of politics) go 'round

5/1/2012

Utah Policy: Money makes the world (of politics) go 'round - "We have come full circle to the Watergate era when presidential candidates were totally beholden to special interests and the wealthy," said Craig Holman of Public Citizen, a Washington-based advocacy group that supports stronger campaign finance laws.

iWatch News: Violating the public trust? - “... What’s going on here is that New England tends to enforce its laws,” said Craig Holman, a government ethics scholar with the citizens’ advocacy group Public Citizen in Washington D.C. Holman reviewed the data from Massachusetts and five other New England states for NECIR.

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